HOW wonderful is every part of God's creation! As a rule, there is the most beautiful order. In the earth, air, and water this holds good. Whether it be fish, animals, insects, or birds, there is the most wonderful gradation from the simplest formation to that which is most complicated. But in every one of these divisions of the creatures of God will be found some strange exception, something that stands out unlike all the rest. The Proteus is one of these, and in every way it is so remarkable that it deserves to be called one of nature's real wonders. This curious creature, which has from its first discovery excited the interest of naturalists, on account of its peculiar structure and habits, has been found in but one locality in the south of Austria. The Limestone mountains of Carnivla are traversed by caverns of great extent, which are lined with stalactites and stalacmites in every variety of form. Of these caverns, the most famous is the Grotto of Udelsberg, about forty miles north of Trieste, on the road to Vienna.
Through these grottos flows the river Laibach, making its appearance again from out of the mountain, at some miles distance; and when the stream has been swollen in the spring by the rapid melting of the ice and snow on the neighboring mountains, as well as after heavy rains, pools are lefts in which the Proteus Anquinus is sometimes found; but where it is bred naturalists are at a loss to determine. It is thought to be produced in some subterranean lake or reservoir far beneath, as it has never been found in a very early stage of its growth. In the neighboring caverns of Sittick and Kirtnitz it is stated also to have been found, but nowhere else.
The usual length of the Proteus is from seven to twelve inches, and its circumference about an inch and a half. It has a large flat head, in form somewhat resembling that of a crocodile. The skin is, smooth and of a beautiful flesh color, but upon frequent exposure to light, it becomes of a pale brown. The creature has the general form of an eel, but is furnished with four legs about an inch in length; the fore legs are situate near the head, and have each three toes, rather widely spread, but no trace of being webbed. The hinder legs are situate at the base of the tail, which is flattened and tapering like that of the eel, and have only two toes. The legs Seem to be to enable the Proteus to crawl upon the muddy bottom of its habitation. When swimming, which it does with great rapidity, using the tail, it folds its legs back_ wards and close to its body, so that they may not impede its progress.
The mouth is furnished with sharp teeth, and from this circumstance which led Sir Humphrey Davy to regard them as animals of prey. They are at any rate well adapted to retain the slippery food on which it subsists.
It has only the rudiments of eyes, which are covered by the skin, and can be seen only as very minute specks.
The most remarkable feature in the Proteus, perhaps, is that it has a double apparatus for breathing, being furnished with internal lungs like a quadruped, and external organs analagous to the gills in fish. The latter are placed at each side at the back part of the head, having the appearance of delicate crimson fringes. From this circumstance the creature was formerly supposed to be in a transitional or tadpole state, and some ascribed it to the extinct Saurian tribes; but naturalists have now determined these remarkable creatures come into the world in their proper form, and retain it so long as they live, being what are termed "persistent larvae.”
Like other animals to which it is allied, the Proteus Anquinus can subsist a long time without food. A friend who possessed several of these curious creatures, tells us, the death of those he had, was probably due to their having been too frequently fed. That which lived the longest was fed once in six months only, upon one or two small earth worms, which it devoured with avidity. Both Curier and Sir Humphrey Davy remark that they never eat while in confinement, which is a mistake. The specimen last referred to was kept several years in a large earthenware food-pan, with a mahogany covering to exclude the light, and was fed as above. It appeared to shun the light, choosing, when the vessel it lived in was uncovered, that side which was most in the shade.